THE HAGUE (BNO NEWS) — Nearly all Dutch send their new year’s greeting by post cards, according to a poll by TNT Post released on Tuesday.

The poll held by the national postal company shows that 96 percent of the Dutch send their New Year’s wishes by post, rather than online. Around 39 percent of the interviewed people said they send some of their New Year’s wishes by e-mail, while 21 percent said they send some through social networking websites such as Hyves, which is extremely popular in the Netherlands.

It should be noted that only 527 people were interviewed during the poll.

Most of the New Year’s post cards, about 90 percent, are send to family, followed by friends (83 percent), acquaintances (65 percent), colleagues (35 percent) and partners (10 percent).

When asked who they would absolutely not send a New Year’s card to, ten percent named their employee as in a person. Health and happiness are the most popular themes on the post cards.

Those who participated in the poll were also asked about their habits around New Year’s Eve. About one-third of those said they were not looking forward to spending the evening with their family, while ten percent said they did not like the fact that most stores are closed on January 1st. The poll also showed that older people usually enjoy the holiday more than younger people.

While most New Year’s wishes to colleagues are brought with a hand shake (47 percent), about 30 percent give each other three kisses and even a hug. About ten percent say they only verbally communicate their wishes to colleagues.

Women, according to the poll, prefer being kissed by their colleagues than men. The H1N1 swine flu pandemic, at least among those interviewed, does not play a role in this. Around 77 percent said they do not realize potential health risks when wishing others a happy new year.

TNT Post also asked those interviewed who they would like to wish a happy new year by sending a post card. Around 10 percent answered Dutch singer Marco Borsato, one of the country’s best selling artists. Borsato gained a lot of media attention this year when his company, The Entertainment Group, went bankrupt. The singer since has severe money problems.

Other results from the poll show that New Year’s wishes via social networking websites such as Facebook and Hyves are mostly send to friends (88%) and acquaintances (71%). About half of those say January 6, the Christian holiday of Epiphany, is the most fitting day to receive New Year’s cards.

It also shows that men more often keep their New Year’s post cards, while women often keep only those with a special handwritten message.

Around 56 percent said they spend January 1st with their family, partner and/or friends. The number one topic during this period are the plans for the new year.

The TNT Post poll was held in early December and was conducted by ISIZ and Stadspeil Amsterdam. The main group existed of Dutch citizens of 18 and above.